Meeting Rwacof

Today was a real eye opener for me and my first ever visit to a dry processing mill...as you can imagine I was in coffee heaven. Today I met with a group called Rwacof which is an exporter owned by a Swiss trading group in Geneva. After a brief meeting with the CEO and head of exports, Gabrielle the plant manager gave me a full tour. This was a priceless education for me.

I have read tons of books detailing these processes and there have always been so many questions which today finally got answered (No jokes, I actually may sleep a little better tonight). I was amazed at the efficiency of the operation, everything spotless and functioning seamlessly. In addition, absolutely nothing goes to waste; even the parchment (skin surrounding the bean) is removed and sold to brick manufacturers. My favorite part of the tour was the cupping lab. This is where they check the grades of all of the coffee by way of size, color and of course the all important......... taste. It was at this point when I realized that a great coffee is something of a wonder; a harmonious marriage somewhere between science and art.

After the site visit we went to a fantastic restaurant and celebrated my one week anniversary. This was by far and away the best meal I have had so far (fresh salad and fish other than Tilapia...both novelties out here!)

The visit today was great because it moved everything that was merely academic into the practical. As a person who likes to see, touch, taste and smell the experience really helped me gain a better understanding of the basics of coffee processing and indeed the mechanics of the East African export market.

So on we move with the week, motivated, energized and maybe........ just maybe....that little bit more educated.

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